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What Is CVE-2022-26701 About?

CVE-2022-26701 is a serious vulnerability that Apple patched in several of its operating systems, including macOS Monterey, iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, as part of their 15.5/12.4 updates in May 2022. This vulnerability is all about a race condition – a type of bug that happens when different parts of a program try to change or access the same data at the same time without proper locks in place.

Exploiting this bug, a malicious app could trick the operating system and end up running code with kernel privileges. In plain language: code running with kernel access can bypass nearly all security protections, giving attackers full control over the device.

tvOS 15.5 and later

If your device is running an update earlier than these, it might still be vulnerable to CVE-2022-26701.

The outcome depends on the sequence or timing of the processes, meaning it becomes unpredictable.

In kernel code, this can be disastrous. If the state of a security check or data structure can be rapidly swapped before the system finishes its work, an attacker could sneak in bad data or unexpected behavior.

The Kernel Race Bug: How Could It Be Exploited?

Apple’s security notes:  
> “A race condition was addressed with improved locking.  
> This issue is fixed ... An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.”

Sample Race Condition (Pseudocode)

// This is a simplified version – for educational purposes only.

volatile int securityChecked = ;

// Thread 1: validates user
void* validateUser(void* args) {
    // ...do some checks
    securityChecked = 1;
    return NULL;
}

// Thread 2: escalates privilege if validation passed
void* escalatePrivilege(void* args) {
    if (securityChecked == 1) {
        // Grant kernel access (hypothetical)
        becomeKernel();
    }
    return NULL;
}

// Attacker starts both threads at the same time
void exploit() {
    pthread_t t1, t2;
    pthread_create(&t1, NULL, validateUser, NULL);
    pthread_create(&t2, NULL, escalatePrivilege, NULL);
    pthread_join(t1, NULL);
    pthread_join(t2, NULL);
}

> If attacker carefully times things, thread 2 might act before checks are fully done, letting them slip past protections.

Mitigation: Adding a Lock

pthread_mutex_t lock = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
int securityChecked = ;

void* validateUser(void* args) {
    pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
    // Perform validation
    securityChecked = 1;
    pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
    return NULL;
}

void* escalatePrivilege(void* args) {
    pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
    if (securityChecked == 1) {
        becomeKernel();
    }
    pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
    return NULL;
}

How Real-World Exploits Could Work

Attackers could develop a malicious application and use multi-threaded code or rapidly-fire system calls to exploit the race window, gaining kernel code execution. As Apple stated, successful exploitation means:

Potential for stealing data, installing rootkits, bypassing all security features

There’s no public exploit code, but similar “race condition” attacks have been seen before on Apple platforms, often using techniques like:

How Was It Fixed?

Apple’s patch notes simply say “improved locking.” This means they added proper mutexes or spinlocks to make sure that only one thing can access the affected part of the kernel code at a time.

If you’re an Apple user, updating your devices is crucial.

Official References

- Apple Security Update (iOS 15.5): Apple Security Updates
- CVE Entry: NVD CVE-2022-26701
- Apple Security Research Release Note: Apple Security Releases

Bottom Line

CVE-2022-26701 is a classic example of how even small programming mistakes — like missing a lock in critical kernel code — can lead to major security risks. If you haven’t updated your Apple devices, do it as soon as possible to keep hackers out of your system!

Timeline

Published on: 05/26/2022 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 06/08/2022 19:00:00 UTC